Miss Perfect
by MagicMusician2019
Summary: Matilda Larkin was used to being called perfect. She tried hard to be. Perfect family. Perfect grades. Perfect friend. Keen quidditch player. But there was always the feeling inside that something was missing...


They called it Never Ever Land. A childhood haven, free of adults and full of magic. A little wooden table with four colourful, child sized chairs sat in one corner with the remains of a feast of cake and jelly and ice cream. Across the room lay two old mattresses, with cushions and blankets galore, wrapped up in those blankets were four of the Larkin children, each as blonde as the next they watched enthralled as the eldest made the story he was telling come to life, using smoke figures coming from his wand.

"The slipper fit and Cinderella and the Price would live happily ever after," Timothy said and the smoke figures kissed. The children clapped and little Tessa knelt up.

"One more Tim?" She tugged on her brother's shirt and he shook his head.

"No, tomorrow's a big day you need to go to bed," he said. He had grown to hate the final day of summer. The idea of leaving his family again made him feel a little sick in his stomach, though he loved Hogwarts he missed his sisters.

"What's it like?" Tillie asked, she was hiding her feelings about the following morning quite well. She was terrified of going to Hogwarts, of leaving her home and her friends from the village.

"You'll love it Tils, I promise. And I'm there," Timothy said. He stood up and opened the cubby door that led back into the main house.

"Do you have to go?" Teagan asked.

"Yes, and you'll be coming soon," he replied, pulling the twins on to their feet.

"Not soon enough," Tara said. Heaven help Hogwarts when the Larkin twins showed up. Tillie picked Tessa up and the five made their way out of Never Ever Land.

"Thee you are. We were going to call for you," Lucille Larkin said, as the children appeared in the library.

"Thought it was time for bed," Timothy said.

"Yes, head boy needs his rest," William Larkin laughed and Timothy looked shyly at the carpet. He was not expecting to be head boy, and his proud mother and step father were not letting him forget it.

"How about some hot chocolate before bed?" Lucille asked.

"For happy dreams," Tessa yawned.

"Can Toni come down?" Teagan asked.

"For our last night as a family?" Tara added.

"I'll go get her. You get the hot chocolate ready," William said. He would do anything for his five girls, including taking the baby from her room where she was fast asleep. It wasn't like she would wake up. She had already shown signs of being a true Larkin; sleeping through anything.

The trunk was closed up and Tillie pulled a coat on over her jumper. She looked around her room, she wouldn't see it again till Christmas.

"Ready to go?" Timothy asked. She turned to look at her older brother standing in the doorway. She swallowed and for the first time voiced her fears.

"What if I don't like it?"

"You will like it." Tim Walker over to the bed and sat down, pulling Tillie down beside him. She rested her head on her brother's shoulder and nodded.

"What if people don't like me?" He couldn't help smiling a little, he remembered asking their mother the same question, so he gave the same answer.

"You're Matilda Larkin, how could people not like you p? You're smart and funny and kind and a complete star. It's a new stage of your life Tils, and we know you love a stage."

He reached for the bear sitting at the bottom of the bed, wearing the little red dress. "I hope you're taking Annie bear." Tillie shook her head.

"Sophie said people don't take to Hogwarts."

"Yes they do. Now put her in your trunk. It's time to go." Tillie nodded and done as her brother asked.

Final goodbyes were said quickly, no one wanted them to last longer, no one wanted to see tears. And then Timothy apparated the two of them to the train platform. Tillie had said she didn't want everyone coming to say goodbye. So it was just the two of them.

"I have to go sort some things. But I'll come back and check on you," Tim said, settling his sister into an empty compartment. She nodded and opened her book and he left. She'd be fine, she just needed to find her feet.

"Hey Georgie! Here's one!" Tillie looked up as the door slid open a little while later. A red haired boy stood there. "Can we sit here?" Tillie nodded, Company wouldn't be bad she supposed. The boy sat down and a second later he walked into the compartment again. Tillie smiled.

"You're twins! My sisters are twins."

"Identical?" The second boy asked

"Annoyingly so," she replied. The twins liked nothing better than swapping places.

"Wonderful. I'm Fred and that's George," the first boy said.

"Matilda. But everyone calls me Tillie," she said.

"What house are you going to be in?" Fred asked. Tillie put her book on the seat beside her, ready to talk.

"Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. My dad was a Hufflepuff but my mum and brother are Ravenclaw. I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor."

"We're going to be in Gryffindor. Our whole family is and has been for years. Our brother Charlie's quidditch Captain."

"My brother Timothy is Head Boy."

"Bill was Head Boy two years ago. And Percy probably will be, he's a bore." The door slid open once more, a tall dark girl stood there.

"Is there space here? I can't find a seat," she said.

"Sure! Make yourself at home. I'm George, that's my brother Fred and that's Tillie," Fred said.

"Don't lie. You're Fred and that's George," Tillie scolded. The twins looked at each other, no one figured them out that fast.

"I'm Ruby," the girl said, sitting down beside Tillie. "Are you all magical?"

"Purebloods," George said, "doesn't really matter though. Our brother Bill went out with the muggleborn witch, best quidditch player ever and she was top in her year."

"I'm half, my mum is muggleborn, and my brother is, I don't even know, his dads was muggleborn too," Tillie said.

"You don't have the same dad?" Fred asked.

"Nope, he died. The mum met dad. They got married, had me, the twins, Tessa and Toni," she said.

"There's six of you?" George said.

"Yeah, pretty big but…"

"There's seven of us! Bill, Charlie, Percy, us, Ron and Ginny!" He interrupted. The three of them grinned at each other, it was strange hearing of another big family.

"I'm an only child," Ruby said.

"That must be nice. Wouldn't mind that some times," Fred said, glancing quickly at his twin who slapped his shoulder.

"Hey!"

The four talked and laughed as the train made its way from London to Scotland, only stopping when they had to change into their robes. On more than one occasion they were treated to visits from older siblings, checking how they were getting on. And it seemed like no time until they were off the train and making their way across the lake to Hogwarts.

"You know you have to defeat a troll to get sorted?" Fred said.

"What?" The coloured drained out of Ruby's face.

"Don't listen to them. They are trolls!" Tillie said.

"Excuse me…"

"I'm very offended…"

"We smell much better than trolls."

"It's something easy. Tim told me that much," Tillie whisperer ad they were led into the great hall. Tim squeezed her hand as she passed him and she smiled. In front of the hall there was a stool with an old hat. It turned out they were to place the hat on their head and it would sort them.

"Bates, Ruby." She was first up and soon the hat shouted,

"HUFFLEPUFF!" Ruby Walked to the yellow and black table and was greeted with cheers. A Diggory, Hardy and Jones joined Ruby before it was Tillie's turn.

"Larkin, Matilda." She made her way up the steps and sat down.

"_Larkin, hmm, where to put you. Braver than you know I believe. Not Slytherin, not enough ambition. Not for magic anyway…"_

"_What's that supposed to mean?" _Tillie was quite offended. She believed she was ambitious, she always wanted better marks in school and to complete music exams years before she should.

"_Magic isn't your life Miss Larkin. Though I believe you will work hard at it. Very loyal to your family, you could follow your father in a Hufflepuff…"_

"_If I'm honest I'm not fussed in yellow." _

"_Hmm, a quick wit I see. And a keen imagination. Maybe you do belong in RAVENCLAW."_

Professor McGonagall lifted the hat from Tillie's head and she ran to the Ravenclaw table.

"Hi, I'm Jess," the girl she sat beside said.

"Tillie."

"Well done Tills," Tim shouted down the table.

"You know the head boy?" The boy opposite her was immediately impressed.

"He's my brother," she said. The best brother in all of Hogwarts she was sure.

This was it, Tillie was ready to start a whole new adventure. The next seven years were going to be perfect.


End file.
